Saturday, September 11, 2010

NAMOURA & PALAIS DES THÉS TEAS

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the famous "Le Palais Des Thés" (read more about them) who asked me if I was interested in reviewing a few of their teas. Since I love tea and had heard a lot about them and I had a peek at their wonderful showcase at my favorite local store (Manor) there was no way I was going to refuse that offer. It is a great opportunity for me to discover new products...

When I was still living at home my parents bought many expensive Chinese teas from a Vietnamese of Chinese origin who travelled a lot around China in order to find rare blends (Pu Erh, Wu Long, White Cloud, etc...) and buy beautiful teapots that he sold in his little boutique/tearoom. In that way, I was brought up to appreciate good quality teas and not get fooled by the commercial brands that make you believe they sell the best teas on the market when in fact they only offer low-grade teas.

Well, for me tea is made to be savoured and not drunken like any other vulgar drink. One needs to take his/her time, sit comfortably, be in a positive mood, freehimself/herself from the grip of the stressful modern world and open his/her senses. Drinking tea can be compared to meditation. As a matter of fact tea gives you a sense of enlightenment - an almost "light" sensation where you feel open to the world. It enhances the feeling of well being, makes you feel more relaxed and more receptive to your inner self (keeps you open and clear) and clearly enhances your meditation experience. No wonder that in Asia (China and Japan mainly - tea ceremonies) it has always been used in close relationship to meditation.

So, in order to fully appreciate the teas I was given to sample, I tried to find the best moments possible in order to reverently to get my pretty Chinese clay Yi Xing teapot and mini cups out. I did not want to rush the testing session and decided to spread it over a few days.

I must say that I was really not deceived by the teas I tested. All were divine, unique and I had a great time experimenting with them. The "Le Palais Des Thés" blends are extraordinary, refined, out of this world and are processed from first-class teas. A real experience!

Thé Aux Fruits d'EtéWhole leaf black tea from Yunnan with the natural extract of Na-she (a fruit from the South of China which's flavour is similar to that of the pear while it has the appearance of a small apple) and marigold petals.Fresh, slightly smoky and subtly perfumed.

As I wanted to take the sampling even further, I thought that it would be a wonderful idea to bake a treat that would be flavored with one of the "Le Palais Des Thés" teas...

Middle East pastries are mostly enjoyed with a good cup of black tea (or coffee) I thought that instead I could make a Lebanese treat aromatized with tea. After a little research on Cherine's gorgeous blog "Chicho's Kitchen" I came upon the speciality that I was going to bake: "Namoura" (see my 2006 post about that speciality also called"Basboussa" in Egypt or "Revani" in Greece or Turkey), a heavenly dessert made with semolina and imbibed with a luscious syrup. Just the right dessert to celebrate both the Eidor Rosh Hashanah(Eid Said Mubarak & Shanah Tova!!!)...

Cherine's recipe uses a syrup that is flavored with orange blossom water. I chose to perfume mine with one of the "Le Palais Des Thés" fruity teas. I wanted a flavor that would be very Middle Eastern in flavor, so I thought that the "Théophile" tea would be the perfect choice as it's got strong and intoxicating floral accents that remind me of ancient Syrian rose gardens.

"Namoura" is a tantalizingly exquisite cake. It is fluffy and divinely moist in texture, wickidly sweet like honey, is subtly perfumed and has a delicate buttery aroma.

Method For The "Cake":1. In a big bowl, mix together the flour, the salt, the semolina, the ground almonds and the baking powder.2. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, the melted butter and the eggs.3. Add the milk/butter/egg mixture to the flour/semolina mixture and mix well.4. Grease a 25cm (10 inches) round baking pan with 2 tbsp of tahini and pour the batter in.5. Using a knife, score the top of the batter into equal squares and place a blanched almond in the middle of each square.6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C (350º C) for 30 to 45 minutes or until slightly brown on top.

Method For The "Syrup":7. Meanwhile bring the water to a boil and infuse the tea for about 5 minutes. Sieve well.8. In a saucepan, mix the sugar and flavored water together and bring to a boil. Let simmer until it forms a sticky syrup.9. Let the syrup cool completely.10. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour the cold syrup over.11. Cool the cake on a rack and then cut the squares.12. Serve.

Remarks:If you don't want to use tea, then add 2 Tbs orange blossom water to the water/sugar mixture (mix the water & sugar & orange blossom, then bring to the boil and simmer).This cake is very breakable when fresh. I recommend that you leave it a few hours in the fridge before serving. In that way you'll have clean slices.Serving suggestions:Eat this cake at any time of the day and accompany it with some good tea.

The photographs of the teapot are all so sublime. Beautifully done. back home we would have the darjeeling leaf tree.. that is where the tea gardens are in India and it is only a short while from where we live. I so miss the original tea here. The ones you have with the flower petals sound so exotic and elegant.

Oh Rosa, this is a wonderful post. I've actually never heard of Le Palais des Thes, but I will keep my eye open in case they are sold here. They look so freshly dried, and I love rooibos. That Genmaicha looks powerful too!Hey, I make namoura and basboosa all the time. Less lately due to my diet, but yours is making me want some. Delicious, Rosa!

Rosa, you have out done yourself! Not only do those sweet tea cakes look and sound amazing---your tea review is just gorgeous. Thank you for inviting us to all sit down, slow down and enjoy some lovely teas.

This is stunning....everything about it, from the pictures, your post, the cake...love it! I enjoy tea, but don't know why I don't indulge more. Need to get better at that, especially with all the amazing teas available.

What an amazing tea review, Rosa! I loved your photos and detailed flavor descriptions.And your namoura recipe looks delicious. Interesting that tahini is one of the ingredients; the sesame flavor would be marvelous and the tea syrup would have made these so moist!

Rosa...your post today has been quite impressive. Le Palais could not have selected a better candidate suited for such a review.I fully agree on your views in the appreciation of a great cup of tea. As colder temps approach I look forward to my cup of tea and great reading.BTW...if ever you think of coming to Montreal you'd be most welcome to come have a tea and more with me ;o))

Rosa, Outstanding and informative post. I'm glad you put this out there for everyone to see. You reminded me of the two Japanese Tea Ceremonies I attended in Japan a few years back.If anyone has the opportunity to attend one just stop whatever you are doing and go..its not to be missed.

hi dear, well its a very intresting post for users like me who loves tea . You are perfectly right in saying that Drinking Tea needs a refreshing , relaxing and cool mood and atmosphere to enjoy it to the fullest. Its again rightly pointed as a Meditation.well awesome to know that you got an opportunity to audit the different tea flavours.Hmmm well i would really love to see you researching and exploring Indian teas ,which is the largest producer of excellent teas to the wordls apart from china.its main brands are assam tea, nilquri tea and darjeeling tea..hope you love its soothing flavours too ..we in India called tea in our language hindi as "CHAI".looking forward to see you agaaaain.take care..

I love your presentation of all the flavors of tea, just so beautifully photographed and appealing to my eye. The cake looks like a perfect bite to pair with the tea, such a lovely well prepared post, thanks for sharing:)